Clear Message
Good Morning,
While reading through the book of Ezekiel, I am reminded of how frankly the Lord speaks to us. God is strong, yet wants to bring comfort to His people.
Ezekiel 14:23 “And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.”
Not only does God want us comforted amidst our troubles, but He also wants sin to be pointed out; and He has no problem naming sin.
Ezekiel 16:30 “How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;”
vs. 31 “In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;”
vs. 32 “But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!”
vs. 33 “They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.”
vs. 34 “And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.”
vs. 35 “Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD:”
That statement is rather pointed! God makes no excuse for moral impropriety! The words: harlot, adultery, and whorish are all words used to describe the pitiful way the people treated God. While the people of Israel had been formed by God, blessed by God, turned into a great nation by God, they now acted like whores enjoying the world and the things of the world. Could we say anything less about America today?
God calls sin terrible names; He makes no softening excuses for sin and demands that we, too, lay claim to the shame and vile nature of our sinful deeds.
1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
vs. 9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
vs. 10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
God wants us to label sin as BAD and to acknowledge that our actions are wrong and that our deeds are shameful and perverse.
We live in a world where preachers are afraid to call sin by name. (In fact, you will have trouble finding preachers who even like being called preachers. They often prefer to be called “teacher" or “pastor.” This is not wrong, but we have few prophets of God who stand for righteousness.) Few reverends today are willing to name sin. Men who stand before congregations want to please the audience in hopes of building a crowd and an offering. Our churches are gaining more worldliness, more casual Christianity, and more tolerance of sin. Now I know that our church is full of sinners, starting in the pulpit, but we call it sin, we do not act as if wrong actions are okay.
Just think with me: when is the last time you heard a pastor talk about loud women?
Proverbs 7:11 “(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:”
…or about flattery and forward women kissing a guy?
Proverbs 7:13 “So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,”
Proverbs 7:21 “With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.”
When have we heard a preacher address the evils of religious celibacy, or vegetarianism as a religious mandate? (That could refer to Catholics or Seventh Day Adventists, not to mention others as well.) A good minister is supposed to preach on those subjects.
1 Timothy 4:3 “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth…"
vs. 6 “If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ,”
So, yes, the gal who hops into bed with a guy she is not married to is a whorish woman —simple as that!
Ezekiel 16:30 “How weak is thine heart ... the work of an imperious whorish woman;”
Imperious: one who will not follow rules, submit to the authorities, or refuses to follow the rules. Hmmm… this is probably not used as a text mentioned by most preachers.
Ready for a real shocker? How about preaching on work? Paul sure hit it hard.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”
vs. 11 “For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.”
Paul continues to say that men should work and EAT THEIR OWN BREAD:
vs. 12 “Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.”
vs. 13 “But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.”
vs. 14 “And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.”
People who do not work should be avoided. WOW! That is unpopular preaching. We, of course, are not referring to those who would take a job if it were available; many a good man found himself out of work for a short time. This passage speaks of those who are busybodies and avoid jobs.
The point is that churches need to identify right and wrong and help people see what God thinks about certain subjects.
The Bible is a frank Book; we ought to be loving, kind, giving, and merciful, but we need not act as if wrong is right or that someone's feelings are more important than right. God is blunt and clear about what is right and what is wrong. With a spirit of love, may we also be clear, and may we never side-step naming certain actions as right or wrong.
Pastor